1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lever-fitting type connector provided with a housing and a lever, and more particularly to a lever-fitting type connector in which the lever can be easily mounted on the housing, the housing being connectable to a mating connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
In one known conventional lever-fitting type connector of this kind, mounting grooves are provided so that a lever can be easily inserted into a housing at the time of mounting the lever on the housing (see Patent Literature 1). Namely, the mounting grooves formed in the lever extend respectively from engagement holes to peripheral edge portions of the lever along a direction of inserting of the lever. When the lever is mounted on the housing, housing bosses formed on the housing and serving as an axis of pivotal movement of the lever are engaged respectively in the engagement holes.
When inserting the lever into the housing, first, the worker introduces the housing bosses respectively into inlets of the mounting grooves formed respectively at the peripheral edge portions of the lever. Then, the worker pushes the housing bosses deep into the respective mounting grooves, and fits the housing bosses into the respective engagement holes provided respectively at inner ends of the mounting grooves, thus completing the insertion of the lever into the housing.
There is known another conventional lever-fitting type connector employing lever bosses (see Patent Literature 2). A lever is pivotally moved while the lever bosses are retainingly engaged respectively with retaining bosses formed on a mating connector, and by doing so, the fitting of the lever-fitting connector to the mating connector proceeds.
Patent Literature 1: JP-A-2003-249304 (Paragraph 0017, Paragraph 0022, FIG. 5, etc.)
Patent Literature 2: JP-A-2005-122942 (Paragraph 0078, FIG. 17, etc.)
However, there have been proposed various lever-fitting type connectors, and depending on the construction of the housing, much time has often been required for mounting the lever on the housing because of the lever bosses projecting laterally or perpendicularly from the lever-inserting direction.
For example, when the lever bosses move into the inside of the housing after the worker passes the lever bosses respectively through relief portions formed at lever-inserting surfaces of the housing, it is difficult to position the lever relative to the housing, and therefore much time has been required for the lever-mounting operation.
Even if the mounting grooves disclosed in the above Patent Literature 1 are merely applied to such a lever-fitting type connector, such mounting grooves often fail to effectively perform their function after the lever bosses move into the housing.